Froze Over
by Nepenthe Jade
Summary: James wants Lily to go out with him. Only one problem. He's a moron. But we love him anyway, right, kids? COMPLETED
1. The First Attempt

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters or this setting. Joanne Kathleen Rowling, Warner Brothers, and I Can't Believe You're Reading My Disclaimer do.  
  
Dedication: To Lauren, for teaching me so much about love. And to Katie, whose undying love of L/J fluff inspired me to write some of my own.  
  
Introduction: I am a bad person. I know I haven't updated the parody. But you guys sit tight, okay? Right now I'm mired in a very long and unfunny chapter. I AM STILL WORKING ON IT when I have the time and inspiration. Anyway, about this ficlet. I'm planning on dividing it into three parts. Hopefully I can have the whole thing up this week. Umm, I can't remember the rest of what I was going to say. So, on to the fluff!  
  
Froze Over  
  
It was the last day of James's fifth year at Hogwarts. He sat in the great hall with his three best friends Sirius, Remus, and Peter, suspiciously eyeing his plate of scrambled eggs. (A/N: This is NOT the James in the OOTP flashback. Or the Lily, for that matter.) The table was unusually silent - no one wanted to go home. James's mind began to wander several feet to the right of him, where he knew she was sitting, even though he had not looked at her. Sirius's voice abruptly brought him back to his eggs.  
"I'm going to ask Claire Hodges out today."  
James's head snapped up. Claire Hodges was a beautiful Ravenclaw and the unassuming owner of waist-length wavy blonde hair, bright blue eyes, a small elfin nose, and a sweet, friendly temperament. She liked to laugh but was a little absent-minded.  
"Why?" Remus wanted to know.  
"Because I like her, Moony," Sirius explained in exasperation.  
"When are you going to do it?" James asked. He was a little stunned. None of the Marauders had dated before. Shy, quiet (except with the other Marauders) James had hardly even considered asking a girl out before, even her. James knew he wasn't cute or dashing like Sirius - the glasses and messy hair were big negatives. But even Sirius had never expressed an interest in dating before. It seemed to tear down a barrier in James's world. If another one of the Marauders could date, why not him?  
James considered all of this as Sirius considered his answer. Clearly his announcement had been an impulsive one meant to break the silence.  
"I don't know," he said finally.  
"She's going out onto the grounds now," Peter said. "Maybe you can catch her before she gets into a carriage."  
"Yes," said Sirius, squinting in thought (pain?). "Yes, that's what I'll do."  
James watched as Sirius got out of the seat across from him and sprinted down the table, drawing a few quizzical stares. He heard her get up and leave, too, as he turned his attention back to his eggs. He still hadn't eaten anything. Not that this was an unusual occurrence. Over the summer, his pediatrician had told his mother to "fatten him up". He half- wished he wasn't so thin - it made him feel weak.  
He drew in the breath to say something (he didn't know what) to Remus and Peter, but broke off in a loud ooph as Sirius jerked him up from the bench. Apparently he had been running around the table to the other side to fetch James.  
"You're coming with me," he said, before turning toward the doors to the Entrance Hall and setting off at a fast pace. James jogged to catch up with him.  
When he and Sirius were side by side, James whined, "Why do I have to go with you? You can't get a bloody girlfriend by yourself?"  
"No." - firmly. James laughed in spite of himself. He supposed if he was asking a girl out, he'd want his best friend backing him up too.  
They walked through the entrance hall and out onto the grounds. James was immediately overwhelmed by two colors - the emerald green of the lawn and the clear blue of the sky. The lake looked like a piece of the sky on earth as it reflected the soft white clouds and softer blue dreaminess above it.  
"There she is!" exclaimed Sirius, pointing. "She's just starting to walk around the lake - probably killing time until the carriages arrive to take us to the station."  
James looked - and paled. Next to the stream of blonde hair (Claire had her back to the boys) was a length of red hair that curled in familiar little ringlets. She was beautiful.  
"She's with Lily," James pointed out. "Are you still going to ask her?"  
"Of course, Prongs. If I minded company I wouldn't have brought you!"  
James grinned wryly and they walked on, closing the gap between them and the girls, who were strolling in a leisurely fashion, lacking an important objective like Sirius's. Just before they caught up, James realized this was going to be incredibly awkward for him and Lily and groaned inwardly.  
Claire and Lily turned around as they heard James and Sirius behind them.  
"Hi Sirius, James," said Claire, smiling.  
"Hi Claire," Sirius said.  
Short pause.  
"Will you go out with me?  
Claire, Lily, and Sirius all gasped involuntarily. For the speaker was not Sirius, but James. Now he was staring fixedly at Lily but reddening steadily as he realized what he had just done. Lily was silent - in shock, presumably.  
Claire laughed to rid the group of the awkward moment. Like Sirius, she hated odd silences. But this didn't work that well - everyone turned to stare at her instead, waiting for an explanation. She didn't really have one, so she just said the first thing that came to mind.  
"It's just funny."  
Lily raised an eyebrow at her, forcing Claire to press on.  
"I don't know, just the way that things work out, and how some people end up getting a boyfriend or girlfriend before others, beating the odds. It's interesting, in a weird way."  
She trailed off, realizing that what she had just said was very stupid indeed.  
Lily and Sirius both looked confused, but for some reason James understood, so he replied, "Yes, I know Lily's not pretty like you, but -"  
He stopped in horror as he realized what he had done. A quick glance at Lily, and his worst fears were realized. She was looking at him in shock, hurt, and quickly blossoming anger. James broke the eye contact as quickly as possible by staring at the ground and placing a hand over his eyes in despair.  
"I'm afraid I'll have to refuse your offer, James," Lily said quietly to the crown of the boy's bowed head. James slowly looked up again, but she was already walking away. He looked back at his feet. Claire and Sirius were still standing next to him. After several more seconds of awkward silence, Sirius cleared his throat.  
"Um, Claire, will you go out with me?" 


	2. The Selection Ceremony and the Second At...

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters or this setting. Joanne Kathleen Rowling, Warner Brothers, and I Can't Believe You're Reading My Disclaimer do.  
  
Dedication: To Lauren, for teaching me so much about love. And to Katie, whose undying love of L/J fluff inspired me to write some of my own.  
  
Introduction: This is chapter two. Um.the idea for the phone call in this chapter was what gave me the backbone of this fic. I just had to work one chapter backwards and one forwards, and I was done! So I guess what I'm trying to say is that this will be the most genuine of the chapters, fashioned only from instinct and whimsical inspiration. Enjoy!  
  
Froze Over  
  
Claire looked a little surprised but grinned. "Sure."  
And that was it, James realized. Just like that, they were a couple. Of course Sirius would have it so easy while James just had to go and say something stupid right when he got his chance.  
James's thoughts turned to more immediate matters. He realized they would want to go and be with each other now, but didn't want to leave him alone. Claire put a hand on his shoulder and he looked up into her face.  
"I'm sorry," she said sincerely.  
"I know," James said, his voice hollow. "It's okay."  
Claire still looked a little sad and worried, but moved her hand from James's shoulder to Sirius's hand. Sirius grinned involuntarily and looked toward the gates out of the grounds.  
"The carriages are here," he said. "Let's go find one."  
"Okay," said James, trying to sound cheerful. "Oh, look, there's Remus and Peter!"  
"Where?" Sirius asked.  
"Just over there, by the Whomping Willow," said Claire, also spotting the pair of figures making their way across the grounds. "Let's hurry and meet up with them!"  
The other two agreed and they walked quickly towards the Whomping Willow to catch up.  
"Oi!" yelled Sirius when they came within hailing distance. "MOONY! WORMTAIL!"  
The two turned and their grins were visible even from far away. Peter's sandy blonde hair was shining so brightly in the late morning sun that it hurt James's eyes. They waited until the other three caught up, and Padfoot jumped on the first oppurtunity he had to introduce Claire, even though technically they already knew her.  
"Moony, Wormtail, this is Claire, my girlfriend. Claire, these are Peter and Remus, but we call them Moony and Wormtail. Oh, and James is Prongs."  
"Sirius is Padfoot," Remus added.  
"What funny nicknames," Claire remarked. "How ever did you come up with them?"  
"Random draw via what we call the Selection Ceremony," said Peter lightly. The other Marauders nodded fervently in agreement.  
"Okay," said Claire. "Do I get one too?"  
"Yes, I guess so," Sirius said, looking at Claire thoughtfully. Then he turned to the rest of the group. "When should we have the Ceremony, boys?"  
"How about when we get on the train?" James suggested. Remus and Peter concurred.  
"The jury is still out on your nickname," Sirius announced to Claire. "Until then, we'll use your regular name -"  
"- As dictated by the constitution of the Marauders," Remus continued.  
"Which is what we call ourselves," Peter concluded.  
Claire smiled. "The Marauders," she repeated softly. "I like it!"  
"Good," said Sirius. He offered Claire his arm, which she took, laughing at his mock elegance. "Let's find a carriage, shall we?"  
"We shall," said the other four, laughing.  
  
***  
  
Half an hour later, the five of them found an empty compartment in the train and settled in. As Sirius helped Claire secure her trunk, James nonchalantly plucked one of her hairs and tucked it into his pocket before sitting down next to Remus. A moment later Sirius and Claire sat as well.  
"Prongs," said Claire thoughtfully, "Do you take Muggle Studies?"  
"Yeah, I do," James replied. "Why?"  
"Do you know how to use a telephone?"  
"Yes."  
"Well, I have Lily's phone number. Would you like it? Maybe you could try calling her over the summer,"  
"Okay," James said.  
Claire scrawled the number on a piece of parchment and passed it to James, who accepted it gratefully and put it into the pocket that was not already holding Claire's hair.  
"Thanks, Claire," he said. "Which reminds me - we need to find out what your nickname is. Moony, Wormtail, would you please join me in the corridor for the Selection Ceremony?"  
"Of course," Remus said, as he and Wormtail rose to their feet. "Sorry Claire, no Marauder is allowed to witness their own Selection Ceremony."  
"As dictated by the constitution of the Marauders," James went on with a grin.  
"Which is what we call ourselves."  
"We don't need to repeat that part, Wormtail," said Sirius, rolling his eyes.  
"Right. Sorry."  
Prongs, Wormtail, and Moony stepped out into the corridor and seated themselves on the floor across from the door into their compartment. Prongs withdrew the hair from his pocket and his wand from his robes. He was going to perform a spell he had learned while studying with Sirius to become Animagi. It allowed you to use one of a person's hairs to see what his or her Animagus form would be, even if the person was not an Animagus.  
Prongs lay the hair on the flat palm of his left hand and held his wand in the other. Moony and Wormtail leaned in closer to watch. Touching the tip of his wand to the thin blonde hair, James muttered the spell.  
For several seconds, nothing happened. Just as Remus and Peter begun to believe it hadn't worked, the hair began to smoke. Then the wisps rose a few millimeters above Prongs's palm and arranged themselves into the shape of a tall, graceful female deer.  
"So that's her Animagus form," Prongs declared. "What nickname can we derive from it?"  
No one said anything as they stared hard at the doe.  
"It's got two white stripes down its back," Remus finally declared. "What about White Stripe?"  
"That sounds good," James said.  
"Agreed," said Peter.  
They stood up and reentered the compartment. From the looks of it, Padfoot and Claire had been involved in a fast-paced discussion of Quidditch, but Claire stopped what she was saying when she saw the other three come in.  
"Well?" she asked.  
"White Stripe," James announced.  
"Do you like it?" Peter wanted to know.  
"Yes," Claire smiled. "Yes, I do."  
  
***  
  
Fast forward a month and a half. After debating it for the aforementioned length of time, James determined to call Lily. He picked up the receiver in his right hand and used his shaking left hand to dial. He had the parchment with Lily's number written on it, but he didn't need it. It had been engraved into his brain, the work of a thousand and one tortured readings. A drop of sweat ran down his forehead as the ringing sounded in his ear. He was standing next to a chair (he was at his parents' house for the summer), but he decided to remain standing. She picked up.  
"Hi Lily. This is Prongs, I mean James, James, my name is James."  
James decided he might want to sit down after all.  
Lily didn't say anything, so he went on.  
"Um, I guess I just wanted to say I'm sorry about what I said at the last day at Hogwarts. I didn't really mean it that way."  
James trailed off. He wanted to say, "Even though you're not conventionally pretty, I still think you're beautiful," but he couldn't. He couldn't give her his heart just yet, knowing she probably wouldn't give hers back. She spoke into his ear - he imagined for a moment that she was there next to him, talking to him, looking him in the eye. Then, somewhat abashed by what she had said, he continued. He had to try again. It was so important to him.  
"So, uh, I was wondering if you might reconsider and go out with me."  
James paused for her answer, which she promptly gave.  
"Okay," he said nervously, unfamiliar with the Muggle expression she used, "And, um, when exactly do you expect hell to freeze over?"  
She hung up on him. 


	3. The Third Attempt, or Not

Disclaimer:

I don't own these characters or this setting. Joanne Kathleen Rowling, Warner Brothers, and I Can't Believe You're Reading My Disclaimer do.

Dedication:

To Lauren, for teaching me so much about love. And to Katie, whose undying love of L/J fluff inspired me to write some of my own.

Introduction:

Wow, a chapter three!

**Froze Over**

James told himself, when he returned to Hogwarts, that he was mad at her, even though it made him feel like the narrator of _The Telltale Heart_, who insisted he wasn't crazy even as it became ever clearer that he was. He wanted to scowl when he saw her, but invariably his emotions worked to mirror hers: if she laughed, he would be happy; if she looked depressed, so too would he be. Every day he devoted more attention to Lily than anyone else. As Sirius and Claire always sat together at mealtimes (and all other times, it seemed), Sirius divided his time between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables, and really didn't notice this. Peter, who wasn't really the psychological type, also failed to recognize how James's eyes were always drawn to her, and how she became the sole influence over his own disposition. But Remus was a constant student of human nature, and it became clearer and clearer to him that James needed to go out with Lily and either have it over with or marry her. He didn't say this, though, as he somewhat lacked the self-confidence that one has when one isn't half-animal. For four months it continued: Remus watching James and James watching Lily and Peter just wanting to be useful and Sirius just wanting to be a good boyfriend. Perhaps it was Christmas that jerked everybody out of the status quo, or perhaps somebody had just had enough. Whatever the case may be, it so happened that in that funny period between Christmas and New Year's, James sat at the Gryffindor table watching Lily, who had overcome her inexplicable dislike of James enough to sit next to Claire, who was sitting next to Sirius, who sat across from James. Remus and Peter sat on either side of him. James was putting up a good show of being interested in the meal, but sneaked looks at Lily between every bite, thinking of how while other girls strenuously worked to maintain the beauty of their hair, Lily's was beautiful even when tousled and slightly knotty, as it was now.

Claire abruptly stood up, unnecessarily brushing off the front of her jumper as she did.

"I fancy a snowball fight," she said. "Anyone else up for it?"

"Give me five minutes alone with this pie and then I'll make sure you're caked with ice," said Sirius.

"I'll go with you in the meantime," said Lily, also standing. She noticed James's eyes on her far more often than he thought she did, and was feeling them now. It made her a little self-conscious and she wanted to be away from his gaze. She regretted now being so harsh to him, but then she didn't know how to seek retribution. It was just that at the time she simply hadn't been ready, but she felt now that she had learned a lot about how to maintain a relationship by observing Claire, who was an infinite testament to her own mysterious wisdom in all her actions.

The two girls quit the Great Hall, the heads of James and Sirius turning to follow their movement. Remus bit his lip in thought. When they were out of sight Sirius returned his attention to his pie as promised, and they all sat in silence, engrossed in their own thoughts about the others, but none expressing them. After what seemed like an eternity to James, Sirius stood and, stretching his arms above his head in the fashion of those who feel well-fed, said, "Come on, men, I have to go make my girlfriend angry."

James smiled and Remus said, "Okay!" Peter grabbed a cupcake on their way out, and munched on it as they crossed the Entrance Hall. On the front steps they gained a view of Claire and Lily clambering to hit each other with their snowballs. James would have liked to stand and watch them for a moment, but Sirius, never a premeditator, made a quick snowball and ran ahead, throwing it at Claire as he went. It struck her in the back of the head, eliciting a shriek.

"SIRIUS BLACK!" she yelled as she wheeled about, her cheeks pink with cold. "That is NO WAY to treat your girlfriend!"

Sirius, who had by now arrived at her side, said, "Show me the right way, then," with an impish grin, and Claire laughed and kissed his cheek, then said, "We are going to wage war on your friends."

"Whatever you say, love," said Sirius immediately, and flung another snowball at James, his tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth in concentration. James ducked and it missed. Straightening up again, he stuck his tongue out at Sirius, and Peter laughed. The laugh broke off in a shiver, and he said, "Merlin, it's cold tonight. 'Spect hell freezes over on a night like this."

In a split second James's grin had been wiped from his face. He immediately looked at Lily, wondering if she, too, remembered. She was staring at the ground, flushing in embarrassment. He quickly looked away.

Remus touched his arm, in his supernatural way seeing James's thoughts. "Go talk to her," he said to James, in a low voice so only he would hear.

James looked up into Remus's face. A half-smile was quirking his lips. James almost wondered if he wasn't the only one in love with Lily.

"Thanks, Moony," he said. Remus nodded and then, with an abrupt return to his normal temperament, shot a snowball at Padfoot. James walked slowly up to Lily, who seemed to be trying very hard not to notice his approach. When she felt she could ignore it no longer, she looked up. James was standing about a foot away from her. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, she whispered so quietly that she was not sure he would hear, "Hell froze over."

James, his heart thundering somewhere near his ears, said in a rush, "You're the most beautiful, incredible girl I've ever met and I don't know what I can do to deserve you except love you."

Tears pricked the corner of Lily's eyes, and she wrapped her arms about him and said, "It's me that will never deserve you."

"Want to go for a walk?" James asked. Lily nodded, and said to Claire, "White Stripe, we'll be back a little later!" Sirius, for once, had the sense not to gibe at James - either that or Claire stamped on his foot just as he was about to - and they set off towards the lake. Snowflakes were settling one by one in Lily's hair. As they began to cut a path around the lake, Lily said tremulously, "Are we a couple now?"

"Not quite," said James.

"Oh," she replied, confused.

They were approaching a huge tree by the side of the lake. It was leafless, thrusting its bare branches into the star-strewn sky, but still the large rock on the other side of it was quite invisible. He led Lily over to it and they sat for several moments in silence.

"James," Lily said, "When _will_ we be a couple?"

"In ten seconds," he said, and with that he leaned over and kissed her.


End file.
